Going to Shake Myself Right Out the Door, Going to Thank Myself When It’s Finally Over

Well, faithful readers, I had an interview yesterday and I think it went fairly well. I definitely had the good vibe going on during the meeting, and I left feeling pretty good about it when it was all done. I usually don't get worked up or scared of interviews since I make sure that I'm prepared and rehearsed and I typically do fairly well during them. Admittedly I get nervous, but not out of fear of the actual interaction, but because of the importance placed upon it and what can be gained (or lost) by the whole ordeal. This was for a position doing something completely different than what I am doing now, so I was worried going into the interview that I was going to completely blow it. Sure, that's a fear that a lot of people have going into interviews, but in this case I feared that they would realize that I was unqualified for the position, expose me, and then ridicule me openly for even wasting their time with the interview.

That fear wasn't completely unfounded. The questions were a nice blend of your typical interview questions along with technical questions related directly to the position. So, I would get a softball like "What are your greatest strengths?" followed by "How do you define a public improvement fee and how would determine upon which businesses this fee should be levied?" Or I would be asked a creampuff like "What do you feel has been your greatest achievement?" right before being hit with "Define a Use Tax and explain the steps you would take in auditing a company to ensure their compliance with this tax"... um, ok....

So, I completely BS'd my way through those questions, but I think I knew enough from my current work experience and through the classes that I have taken to at least give satisfactory responses. I never hesitated or backtracked, and I did my background research on the position, so at least I sounded confident even if I was ignorant. I did get one "good answer!" from both of my interviewers (it was a dual attack), so that was cool I guess. I don't know if I did well enough to get the job, but I left with no regrets or feelings that I performed poorly. I applied to another position with the same organization (they even asked me if I did apply to that position) so even if I didn't make the cut this time, hopefully they will remember me doing well for next time. It couldn't hurt...

And by now you have probably figured out that I applied to a tax auditor position (cue "Taxman" by the Beatles). Yes, if I get the job I will be the bad guy that people love to hate. But, hey, I've been the bad guy for the past 7 or 8 years, whether I was collecting unpaid bills or in my previous job turning off phone lines. I take it with a grain of salt. Someone has to do it, right? It pays, it is a heck of a lot closer to my house, and it will be extremely good experience down the line. Just doing this little job search now I have seen a lot of really good paying accounting jobs high up in companies, but they almost all require auditing experience. With my financial experience I have now along with that auditing experience (should I get the job), I will be sitting quite pretty in three years. If I get my CPA on top of all of that, then I'm headed for the big time for sure.

Yes, I've completely sold out. However, I sold my soul for the corporate world long ago when I left History grad school and went into business school so there's no turning back now...

Anyway, I don't know if I'll get the job or not, but at least I'm out there trying. It sure beats sitting here and being miserable. Ironically, the Big Boss Lady is going to be in town today to give me my annual review (they now have to do all reviews in the first quarter regardless of hire date, so mine got moved up from the summer. yee haw!). I wanted to tell her not to bother, but who knows how long this job search might last and I'm not ready to tell the company to kiss off yet. At least I'll get a free lunch out of the deal...

Oh, finally, I have heard the new Modest Mouse and it is good. Very good. I still like The Moon & Antarctica better, but I for sure wasn't disappointed. I totally dug it and recommend it to all. I recommend all Modest Mouse albums to all. They rule.